the New Mexico Department of Public Safety will be required to issue a Concealed Handgun License to any applicant if he or she:

is a citizen of the United States;is a resident of New Mexico or is a member of the armed forces whose permanent duty station is located in New Mexico or is a dependent of such a member;is 25 years of age or older (the original proposal said 21);is not a fugitive from justice;has not been convicted of a felony in New Mexico or any other state or pursuant to the laws of the United States or any other jurisdiction;is not currently under indictment for a felony criminal offense in New Mexico or any other state or pursuant to the laws of the United States or any other jurisdiction;is not otherwise prohibited by federal law or the law of any other jurisdiction from purchasing or possessing a firearm;has not been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution;is not addicted to alcohol or controlled substances; and has satisfactorily completed a firearms training course approved by the department for the category or categories of handgun that the applicant wants to be licensed to carry as a concealed handgun.

Officials will be allowed to deny a permit to someone who meets these criteria for only four reasons, if the applicant has:

received a conditional discharge, a diversion or a deferment or has been convicted of, pled guilty to or entered a plea of nolo contendere [no contest] to a misdemeanor offense involving a crime of violence;been convicted of a misdemeanor offense involving driving while under the influence of intoxicating liquor or drugs within five years immediately preceding the application for a concealed handgun license;been convicted of a misdemeanor offense involving the possession or abuse of a controlled substance; or been convicted of a misdemeanor offense involving assault, battery or battery against a household member.